The relationship between Japan and the Greater Mekong subregion in terms of trade and economy in the Cold War

Abstract

After World War II ended, Japan set the background for the implementation of policies on economy and diplomacy to the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) through the signing of the reparations agreements with the subregion’s countries. At the same time,  Japan consolidated and promoted trade-economy relationship with the GMS countries with the goal of turning those countries into resource providers and wide salers of Japanese goods. The purpose of this study is to analyze the trade relationship between Japan and Mekong Subregion countries from 1945 to the early 1990s, which contributed to the clarification of the change in Japan’s policies on foreign relations towards this subregion within the  international and regional contexts.